Weightlifting & Fitness - Everything old is new again!

[jetsfan4life51]

1 hour ago, Sugashane said:

Interesting, do you flare your elbows really wide or lift your feet up? Smith machine or free weights?

I tried it once on a smith and my elbows flared up. (I think) I had my hands too close together and with too much weight, so it put a lot of stress there.

I use a Barbell and flare the elbows out so it’s all chest. I have done feet on the bench, Gironda had his guys do feet in the air. The weight is really light I think I started 95-105 lbs to get a feel. Now I’m up to 165 but I go slow eccentrics, 1 1/4 reps, pauses etc to make it even harder. I feel a deep stretch but no real irritation of the shoulders. 

[MWil23]

Well, got my cholesterol done and it’s 204. Best my HDL has ever been, but my LDL is too high.

I am going to have to go back to a much leaner clean diet and cut tasty meats and cut out refined carbs and white flour and try to drop 7-10 pounds. 

I am getting old and now have to actually make major strides for a bit.

I am 5’10 and weigh 177 pounds.

Talk me off the cliff here @ramssuperbowl99, I’m envisioning egg whites and oatmeal and chicken and ground turkey.

[ramssuperbowl99]

9 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Well, got my cholesterol done and it’s 204. Best my HDL has ever been, but my LDL is too high.

I am going to have to go back to a much leaner clean diet and cut tasty meats and cut out refined carbs and white flour and try to drop 7-10 pounds. 

I am getting old and now have to actually make major strides for a bit.

I am 5’10 and weigh 177 pounds.

Talk me off the cliff here @ramssuperbowl99, I’m envisioning egg whites and oatmeal and chicken and ground turkey.

Ahh that sucks man sorry to hear it. What's the HDL/LDL ratio? And were there any other cardio issues in general? And what did your doctor say?

Too soon to know if you're headed for a statin or not short term. Long term though, you probably are. Not the end of the world, some people are just born with high cholersterol and there's nothing they can do. My first girlfriend's dad went through this same thing, he was running sub 3:30 marathons and eating clean with an LDL of 300.

 

Obviously it's not good news, but it's not worth jumping off a cliff for. You know the stuff you've gotta do, so my take is see what your doctor says, but if they give you a trial period to try and get it under control take advantage. Veggies, fiber, water, reduced saturated fat, you know me so I'll always suggest going no booze even though you drink in moderation, use it as an opportunity for date night walks, all that good stuff. If it doesn't work after a few months, you did what you could so no regrets.

[MWil23]

8 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

Ahh that sucks man sorry to hear it. What's the HDL/LDL ratio? And were there any other cardio issues in general? And what did your doctor say?

Ratio is 3.7 for total cholesterol/HDL ratio.

LDL/HDL is 2.4

Thankfully my triglycerides were 99, but for some reason my BP was also slightly elevated at 110/80. Usually my diastolic is under 70.

I haven’t seen the doctor yet, it was a free clinic for DoD civilians.

8 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

Too soon to know if you're headed for a statin or not short term. Long term though, you probably are. Not the end of the world, some people are just born with high cholersterol and there's nothing they can do. My first girlfriend's dad went through this same thing, he was running sub 3:30 marathons and eating clean with an LDL of 300.

I figured I’ll do about anything on my end to avoid a statin until that day comes.

8 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

Obviously it's not good news, but it's not worth jumping off a cliff for. You know the stuff you've gotta do, so my take is see what your doctor says, but if they give you a trial period to try and get it under control take advantage. Veggies, fiber, water, reduced saturated fat, you know me so I'll always suggest going no booze even though you drink in moderation, use it as an opportunity for date night walks, all that good stuff. If it doesn't work after a few months, you did what you could so no regrets.

Yep, I think I’ll cut out booze and processed foods altogether. I’m not a huge drinker, just a 2-3 glasses a week wind down guy, so perhaps I need less dehydrating drinks and more water, most assuredly more fiber. Thanks for the input, we will see how it goes, just kinda sulking right now.

[ramssuperbowl99]

1 minute ago, MWil23 said:

Ratio is 3.7 for total cholesterol/HDL ratio.

LDL/HDL is 2.4

Thankfully my triglycerides were 99, but for some reason my BP was also slightly elevated at 110/80. Usually my diastolic is under 70.

I haven’t seen the doctor yet, it was a free clinic for DoD civilians.

I figured I’ll do about anything on my end to avoid a statin until that day comes.

Yep, I think I’ll cut out booze and processed foods altogether. I’m not a huge drinker, just a 2-3 glasses a week wind down guy, so perhaps I need less dehydrating drinks and more water, most assuredly more fiber. Thanks for the input, we will see how it goes, just kinda sulking right now.

You were gonna do this anyway, but your primary care doctor needs to be aware (with CareEverywhere and since you went to the DoD they probably already are). Get your visit scheduled and get them up to speed. Depending on how thorough you want to be, you could start keeping a food/exercise diary (without changing anything) so your doc has an idea of what your habits are.

My guess is they take one look at your blood pressure and you end up getting the "prove me wrong, but you're in good enough shape that you're ultimately going on a statin" speech. Especially if you've got family with high cholesterol. And all things considered, there are a lot worse medications to be on than statins.

1 minute ago, MWil23 said:

Thanks for the input, we will see how it goes, just kinda sulking right now.

Completely reasonable. Heart health is scary.

If I was you I'd pout about it aggressively all weekend and put the pieces back together on Monday.

[naptownskinsfan]

1 hour ago, MWil23 said:

Well, got my cholesterol done and it’s 204. Best my HDL has ever been, but my LDL is too high.

I am going to have to go back to a much leaner clean diet and cut tasty meats and cut out refined carbs and white flour and try to drop 7-10 pounds. 

I am getting old and now have to actually make major strides for a bit.

I am 5’10 and weigh 177 pounds.

Talk me off the cliff here @ramssuperbowl99, I’m envisioning egg whites and oatmeal and chicken and ground turkey.

My fiancée and I are trying to do the clean eating.  I love overnight oats with some fruit in them for breakfast, and for dinner we rotate through chicken, ground turkey and some other meats on occasion.  I know you have to watch seasonings with sodium and all, but one thing I accumulated as a grill guy are grill seasonings, so we have a lot.  Stuffed peppers, taco salads, turkey chili, etc can all be done the same way, but made different with each seasoning.  

When I was training for my first marathon last summer, my PCP referred me to a cardiologist because of my low resting heart rate and my family history on my dad’s side with heart issues- he had to have all six bypasses done 20 years ago in his 40’s.  Turns out the cardiologist thinks I have my mom’s genes and there were no heart issues to speak of, but still wants me to come in every year for monitoring and to be attentive to it.  

I wish I could get down to your weight though.  My goal for the longest time has been 175.  But I’m stuck between 204-214, and I know some of that is loose skin from my weight loss but I’d like to get back down to 190 which is where I was in Summer 2022.  

[MWil23]

1 hour ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

You were gonna do this anyway, but your primary care doctor needs to be aware (with CareEverywhere and since you went to the DoD they probably already are). Get your visit scheduled and get them up to speed. Depending on how thorough you want to be, you could start keeping a food/exercise diary (without changing anything) so your doc has an idea of what your habits are.

My guess is they take one look at your blood pressure and you end up getting the "prove me wrong, but you're in good enough shape that you're ultimately going on a statin" speech. Especially if you've got family with high cholesterol. And all things considered, there are a lot worse medications to be on than statins.

I know I’ve got 5-10 pounds to lose. I have been eating mostly clean and healthy but the weekends went a bit crazy…but I’m also working out 5-6 days a week and need extra calories…just probably not pizza and dessert calories.

This is the strongest I’ve been since college and it’s the best my HDL has literally ever been, just didn’t expect my cholesterol to jump 30 points since the fall.

In 2020-2021 it went from 220+ to 145 in 6-7 months with clean eating and losing 15 pounds (Covid was tough), but I’m down 8 pounds from that 2020 weight too.

Yeah, after losing my dad I take heart health very seriously.

1 hour ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

Completely reasonable. Heart health is scary.

If I was you I'd pout about it aggressively all weekend and put the pieces back together on Monday.

I think I decided to “be bad” through this weekend and then essentially start Monday completely fresh with a renewed energy and outlook, just old man yells at cloud energy right now.

[MWil23]

28 minutes ago, naptownskinsfan said:

My fiancée and I are trying to do the clean eating.  I love overnight oats with some fruit in them for breakfast, and for dinner we rotate through chicken, ground turkey and some other meats on occasion.  I know you have to watch seasonings with sodium and all, but one thing I accumulated as a grill guy are grill seasonings, so we have a lot.  Stuffed peppers, taco salads, turkey chili, etc can all be done the same way, but made different with each seasoning.  
 

I like overnight oats and I’m the same with my collection of dry rubs! If I have to lower my salt intake with dry rubs pre cooking that just won’t happen.

28 minutes ago, naptownskinsfan said:

When I was training for my first marathon last summer, my PCP referred me to a cardiologist because of my low resting heart rate and my family history on my dad’s side with heart issues- he had to have all six bypasses done 20 years ago in his 40’s.  Turns out the cardiologist thinks I have my mom’s genes and there were no heart issues to speak of, but still wants me to come in every year for monitoring and to be attentive to it.  
 

That’s good news for you on that end. My dad died of a massive heart attack at 52, so my genetics on that side suck. 

28 minutes ago, naptownskinsfan said:

I wish I could get down to your weight though.  My goal for the longest time has been 175.  But I’m stuck between 204-214, and I know some of that is loose skin from my weight loss but I’d like to get back down to 190 which is where I was in Summer 2022.  

Keep up the great work! You’ve easily been a poster child of diligence and success and deserve to celebrate that. Definitely do not compare yourself to me or anyone else. Make it your goal to be healthy and be around for your fiancé and potentially future kids if that’s the route you go.

My wife and 3 kids are my motivation and I’ve got a biblical responsibility to be there for them so much as it’s in my power to do so.

I channel some super dark energy when I workout. I picture another man raising my kids and going home in my house to be with my wife…not something I’d recommend for most people, but it works for me.

@ramssuperbowl99 probably read that last line and was alarmed

[ramssuperbowl99]

17 hours ago, MWil23 said:

I know I’ve got 5-10 pounds to lose. I have been eating mostly clean and healthy but the weekends went a bit crazy…but I’m also working out 5-6 days a week and need extra calories…just probably not pizza and dessert calories.

This is the strongest I’ve been since college and it’s the best my HDL has literally ever been, just didn’t expect my cholesterol to jump 30 points since the fall.

In 2020-2021 it went from 220+ to 145 in 6-7 months with clean eating and losing 15 pounds (Covid was tough), but I’m down 8 pounds from that 2020 weight too.

Yeah, after losing my dad I take heart health very seriously.

I think I decided to “be bad” through this weekend and then essentially start Monday completely fresh with a renewed energy and outlook, just old man yells at cloud energy right now.

One thing I would note specifically on your cholesterol is that your LDL/HDL ratio is lower than patients with CAHD.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9206383/

Quote

Higher LDL/HDL ratio was seen in CAHD patients than controls (2.94 ± 1.06 vs 2.36 ± 0.78, P < 0.05). LDL/HDL ratio was significantly associated with the severity of coronary vascular stenosis. The area under the ROC curve of LDL-C, HDL-C, LDL/HDL ratio used to predict CAHD are 0.574 (95% CI 0.547–0.600, P < 0.001), 0.625 (95% CI 0.598–0.651, P < 0.001), 0.668 (95% CI 0.639–0.697, P = 0.000), respectively. The cut-off value of LDL/HDL ratio is 2.517, and the sensitivity and specificity are 65% and 61%, respectively. LDL/HDL ratio was related to the prevalence of CAHD and the odds ratio (OR) was 2.39 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.698–2.593, P = 0.00] in multicollinearity regression model.

So taking that, the positive trend on HDL, good blood pressure, good weight, good work out history, no drinking/smoking issues, reduced stress with the new job all are good signs.

And it's only the LDL spike that doesn't fit the trend.

Given your family history and what you've said here, I think the most reasonable conclusion is a genetic factor that takes you from healthy to borderline. And borderline healthy without medication is not a bad place to be in the grand scheme of things.

[ramssuperbowl99]

17 hours ago, MWil23 said:

I channel some super dark energy when I workout. I picture another man raising my kids and going home in my house to be with my wife…not something I’d recommend for most people, but it works for me.

@ramssuperbowl99 probably read that last line and was alarmed

Baahahaha little bit. But it's not like my opinion matters, if your wife thinks it's cute who am I to judge.

[MWil23]

8 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

Baahahaha little bit. But it's not like my opinion matters, if your wife thinks it's cute who am I to judge.

I’m not sure she’s aware, just probably my inner competitor mindset. LOL

[jetsfan4life51]

Standard Cholesterol tests really don't tell you anything.  You need to test particle size, calcium score, Apo-B and Lp(a).  Trigs are also more important.  Under 100 is good, 75 is optimal.

There is also lots of new science about there about Cholesterol not being the enemy and driving your Cholesterol too low is a bad thing.

Depending on what is actually high, you can take Niacin to lower Cholesterol.  But I would imagine if you take out alcohol and processed foods like you mentioned you'll be fine.  

[jetsfan4life51]

@MWil23 what is your Trig/HDL ratio?  Do you have fasting Glucose and Insulin numbers too?

[MWil23]

1 hour ago, jetsfan4life51 said:

@MWil23 what is your Trig/HDL ratio?  Do you have fasting Glucose and Insulin numbers too?

Fasting glucose was like 103 but it was on a 15-16 hour instead of 8-12, so probably accounted for a small spike.

Triglycerides were 99, HDL was 55 or 59, I forget which.

[MWil23]

1 hour ago, jetsfan4life51 said:

Depending on what is actually high, you can take Niacin to lower Cholesterol

The Niacin heat flash was too much for me, did it twice, hard pass won’t do it again